Rameez Patel arrested in connection with the death of his mother

Polokwane – Businessman Rameez Patel who is accused of killing his wife, has been arrested for allegedly murdering his mother after Westernburg police linked him to the crime on Friday afternoon.

Patel will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of murder.

On the evening of September 19, 51-year-old Mahejeen Banu Patel was with her domestic worker outside Polokwane, Limpopo when an armed Patel allegedly opened fire on them. Although she was rushed to a local hospital, the elderly woman succumbed to her injuries. The helper was uninjured.

The police's Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe told News24 that the motive is currently unknown.

Patel, who is also accused of murdering his 28-year-old wife, is currently on trial for her murder. It is alleged that Patel strangled and shot Fatima Patel in 2015 in their home in Nirvana, Polokwane.

Patel, 30, has denied the allegations, claiming that burglars committed the crime.

In a statement, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, the Provincial Police Commissioner, welcomed the arrest of the suspect, applauding detectives for solving the case expeditiously.

Rameez Patel killed wife with cricket bat, court hears

Polokwane - Prominent Limpopo businessman Rameez Patel killed his wife with a cricket bat before strangling her, the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane heard on Wednesday.

This was the evidence of Sibongile Ngwenya, a former employee of Patel, whose statement was read out in court.

This after the court had earlier ruled in favour of the State's application that Ngwenya's hearsay evidence and that of another former employee Danny Gundiza, may be presented for interrogation. Judge Joseph Raulinga made the ruling earlier on Wednesday after reviewing the statements.

The trial has gone ahead despite the absence of Ngwenya and Gundiza who had apparently previously lodged a complaint against the department of justice and correctional service's witness protection programme for "low compensation". The duo, Zimbabwe nationals, have since left the country and police have struggled to track them down.

But in Ngwenya's statement, details emerge of how she overheard Patel explain how he had killed his wife, Fatima.

“I was in the passage when I overheard Patel saying, 'I hit her with a cricket bat, and she fell on the floor. There were strangers outside, she was screaming and I strangled her',” read Ngwenya's statement.

While Patel’s lawyer Tumi Mokoena said it was irregular for the court to accept hearsay evidence, the court found that it was in the interests of justice.

Patel is standing trial for Fatima's murder. She was shot and killed in 2015.

In a separate matter, Patel was arrested last week while he was out on bail in connection with the murder of his mother.

On Tuesday, the court heard that Patel's brother, a witness, had fled the country fearing that his life was in danger.

Polokwane - The modus operandi in the murder of prominent Limpopo businessman Rameez Patel's wife, Fatima and that of his mother, Mohajeen Banu Patel were similar, the Polokwane Magistrate's court heard on Wednesday.

Patel is presently on trial for the murder of his wife but was later also arrested for the murder of his mother. He was out on R250 000 bail when he was arrested for the second murder. He appeared on Wednesday for a bail application in the murder case related to his mother.

Fatima was murdered in 2015 and his mother was killed in September this year.

t is the State's case that the modus operandi in both murders was similar, with State Prosecutor Mashudu Mudau alleging that the accused had a tendency of removing his children from the care of both deceased, moments before the murders.

Mudau put it to Patel, who took the stand, that based on evidence in the trial relating to Fatima, he had removed his children from Fatima's care hours before she was found dead. Mudau said the same had transpired with the murder of his mother.

"In less than three minutes after you left the house, your mother was shot and killed," Mudau said, adding that it was their case that he had hired a hitman.

Patel, however, shot down the allegations, saying he was only made aware of his mother's death through a family helper.

“We have two witnesses you told that you are going to kill your mother,” Mudau told Patel during cross-examination.

Sour relations

He put it to Patel that his mother wanted to gain control of the family's lucrative business, of which she was the owner after the death of her husband. But Patel insisted he had no reason to kill her.

Instead, he painted his younger brother Razeem as a violent person who repeatedly abused his slain mother.

Asked about his relationship with his sibling, Patel said other than being brothers, their relations had soured allegedly as a result of his brother's behaviour.

It is Patel's case that he should be released on bail to tend to the business and his children.

Another witness who was called to testify was his girlfriend Nasrien Mayet who is alleged to have been having an affair with Patel while Fatima was alive. Mayet was also married at the time.

Despite Mayet's attempt to portray Patel in a positive light, the State produced a recording of a telephone conversation where she could be heard referring to Patel as a "psychopath".

In response, Mayet alleged her ex-husband had forced her to make the statement. He had apparently found out about the relationship between Mayet and Patel.

Patel's girlfriend knew he planned to kill his mother, court hears

Polokwane - The Polokwane Magistrate's Court has heard that Rameez Patel's girlfriend knew that he was planning to kill his mother.

Patel - accused of killing his wife and his mother - appeared for a bail application in connection with the murder of his mother, Majeen Banu Patel, on Thursday.

Patel's girlfriend, Nasreen Mayet, who had an affair with Patel while both were still married, continued with her testimony on Thursday.

The State put it to Mayet that she was aware of Patel's plans to kill his mother.

This after it was discovered, through a recording, that Mayet had spent more than 40 minutes in a telephone conversation with her ex-husband.

In the phone call conversation, Mayet is said to have complained about Patel's abusive behaviour and how he was "planning to put his mother away".

"He is oppressing me so much... beat me, and squash my ribs and neck, am afraid if I leave he will get a hitman to kill me and you [sic]," Mayet said during a recording of the conversation with her ex-husband, which was played in court.

"Do you know that he is planning to put his mother away, and he does not know that I know."

Mayet, however, argued that her ex-husband forced her into presenting incriminating evidence against Patel.

State prosecutor Mashudu Mudau painted Mayet as an unreliable witness, saying despite her alleged knowledge of the premeditation, she failed to report the matter to law enforcement agencies.

The State alleged that Patel secured the services of a hitman. He allegedly paid R15 000 and also drove to meet with him at Extension 71, a settlement near Polokwane.

Mudau presented GPRS data to the court to indicate that Patel had driven to the hitman's location.

Patel's lawyer Tumi Mokoena attempted to counter the evidence, but the court dismissed the objection, saying the motion could be brought at a later stage. The case continues on October 25.